Category Archives: Personal Growth

Behind God’s Leg

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with ,

A few days ago a woman who I work with got a visit from her 3-year-old grandson.  He is probably the second cutest kid ever. (mine is first, but I may be biased) He loves his grandmother and doesn’t venture too far away from her.

I tried to get him to come to me so I could play with him. (love kids) But he wanted nothing to do with me.  When I called him he immediately ran and hid behind her leg.  Behind her leg he knew that she would protect him no matter what.  Behind her leg is where he found his comfort.  Behind her leg is where he found his strength.  She stood between him and whatever he was going to face.

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

We live in a world where people are looking for all the things that the little boy found in his grandmother:  protection, comfort, and strength.  It is behind God’s leg we find our protection no matter what the circumstance.  It is behind God’s leg where we can find comfort.  It is behind God’s leg where we can find our strength.  God wants to stand between you and whatever you face.

Are you looking for any of these things mentioned?  If so, run, sprint, or do whatever you can to get behind God’s leg.  You will be safe.

Putting God Off Until Later For Our Incredible Hulk’s

Posted by Michael in Perkins Family, Personal Growth and tagged with , ,

I try to be the best dad that I can be.  I want to play with Ethan and make sure that he knows that I love him.  On Sunday, I went to his room because he was playing and watching The Incredible Hulk.  This is one of my favorite things to do with him because it gives me an excuse to yell and “act” goofy. (more so than normal)

Well, the thing is: we didn’t play.  He said that he was busy and that I should go away and come back later.  He said he wanted to play by himself.  I left his room feeling sad and disappointed.  I couldn’t help it, my own son had just rejected me.  I know that he loves me, but he had more “important” things to do. (like pretend to be The Incredible Hulk)

Psalm 1:2 says, “but who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night.”

I could not help but think about God later that evening.  How often do we tell Him that we are too busy to spend time with Him because of our own Incredible Hulk’s?  Things like little league, work, bills, groceries, etc… But when it comes to spending quality time with Him (prayer and reading Scripture), some put Him off until later.  They decide that their Incredible Hulk is more important.

Putting God off until later breaks His heart.  God loathes rejection.  I am urging all of us to take a look and re-evaluate today.  Are we putting God first or are we putting Him off until later for our Incredible Hulk’s?

Living With Yourself After Watching A Bad Movie

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with , ,

Saturday night is a night in which we typically rent a few movies and just hang out as a family.  April usually picks one and I pick one.  This week I picked “Legion.”  We endured the movie and after it was over I thought to myself, “I just wasted 1.5 hours watching that stupid movie.”  (sorry if you liked it)  I began to think about all the stuff that I could have done in that time period.  I could have:  watched a different movie, slept, learned how to knit, read a book, write, call a friend, play a board game, play with my son’s toys, or prayed.  But I didn’t do any of that.   Instead, I tortured myself and my wife, by watching that movie.  I was so upset.

2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Too many people live with the rammifications of watching a bad movie.  (mistakes)  When we watch a bad movie we can learn from it, we don’t dwell on it.  Our bad movie experiences can either free us or condemn us, the choice is ours.  The next time you watch a movie that wastes 1.5 hours of you life or even more, do not be angry or dwell on it, move on learn from that mistake.

Do you have a movie that wasted time in your life that you need to move on from?

I’m Not Perfect

Posted by Michael in Perkins Family, Personal Growth and tagged with


I’m not perfect.  There I said it, and feel much better.

  • I have am losing the hair on my head and it’s growing in other places
  • I leave the toilet seat up
  • I am forgetful
  • I am a terrible speller
  • I snore when I sleep
  • I get nervous before speaking in front of people
  • I am short
  • I think my torso looks unproportionately long
  • I have feet that smell
  • I run on my tip toes
  • I need to lose 10 lbs
  • I sometimes have bad breath
  • I have dry skin
  • I sweat when I sleep
  • I like to sing Ice Ice Baby in the shower

You know what?  None of that matters because of this: For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

You are a masterpiece.  Don’t let your idea of perfection deter you from realizing that.

Please Step Away From The Burrito

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with , ,

My wife and I have been dieting the last few weeks.  We are trying to eat clean by not eating any processed foods.  This is especially tough at my work because nearly every day someone brings in donuts or burritos. (Both I enjoy tremendously)  Tuesday afternoon I went to the kitchen and saw a burrito laying on the table.  I thought to myself, “Just one burrito wouldn’t hurt anything.”  I picked it up and started to unwrap it and then I heard this voice inside my head say, “Please step away from the burrito.”  I dropped it instantly and went back to my seat.  I guarantee that burrito would have been awesome at that moment, but the consequences of eating it would go much further.  (It would make it more difficult to resist them in the future)

James 4:7 says,  ”Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Some have a hard time resisting temptation and sin.  We say to ourselves, “Just one time wouldn’t hurt anything.”  What we don’t realize is that the more we dabble in these things, the more difficult that it is to stop doing them.  Our appetite for sinful things becomes voracious.  It comes to the point where we become glutton-like in whatever we are struggling with.

How do we resist?  How do we begin to hear that voice that says, “Please step away from the burrito.”  We submit ourselves to God.  We put our faith and trust in Him knowing that it is not OUR strength, but HIS that will help us.  Eventually it will be easier to step away from the burritos.

Do you need to step away from any burritos?

No Request Is Too Small, Even If They Are Dry-Heaving

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with

On Sunday night my son (5) got really sick.  He started throwing up. (sorry so graphic) I felt horrible because there was nothing that my wife or I could do.  I stood there for moral support and my wife lovingly patted his back, but nothing helped him feel better. 

Between dry-heaves, he asked me to pray to God and ask Him for help.  My heart literally broke and busted at the seems at the same time.  I was overwhelmed with joy that a five-year-old would know to ask God for help in a situation, but I was broken-hearted because I hadn’t asked God yet to help my son feel better. (If you are a parent, I know you can relate)

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

God wants to be involved.  He wants us to turn to Him in any and every situation.  He is a God who is not apathetic.  He cares for you.  I think too often we try to take matters into our own hands and forget that He is there waiting to hear our cries.  No request is too small for God, especially if someone is dry-heaving.

Do you have any small requests that you have not asked God about?

Not Getting A Good Game Pat

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with ,

In sports, there is something referred to as a “good game.” This is when a coach or another person literally “pats” another person’s hind end and tells them “good game” or nice job.  This is nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of, actually it’s kind of an honor.  An athlete needs to start worrying when he or she does not get any “good game pats” and be prepared for the criticism that is coming their way.

Proverbs 13:18 says, “Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.”

Sometimes, we get criticized when we think we are doing a good job.  This is tough because when you put your heart and soul into something you want to be told you did a good job.  You want to receive your “good game pat.”  God will and does send people our way to criticize and correct us.  It’s up to us to sift through what they are saying, and correct our mistakes.  We are better for these corrections.  I believe that the most important “good game pat” is the one that we will get on that final day, so it is crucial to listen to these criticisms.

How do you handle it when you don’t get a “good game pat?”

God’s Grace & Hot Showers

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with , ,

My wife and I have a very healthy marriage.  We love spending time with each other and we really don’t ever get into a disagreement.  But there is one thing that I can do that can put her over the edge: Use all the hot water.  The townhouse that we live in has about 30 minutes worth of hot water and when it’s gone…it’s gone.  She usually showers at night and I do in the mornings so this usually works out. But occasionally she will need to shower in the morning and I usually take the majority of the hot water.  I try to tell her it’s not my fault, but rather it’s the hot water tank’s fault. (This argument never works)

 Romans 5:15 says, “how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”

I believe that some people think that God’s Grace is like a hot water tank.  They think that He has used up all of His Grace on other people.  They think that if they ask for it, all they will get is cold water.  I want to tell you or even remind you that God’s hot water tank is infinite in size.  You can stand in His shower for the rest of your life and you will have hot water.

Do you ever run out of hot water?

Keeping The Fire Burning

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with ,

I’m not going to lie, I love playing with fire.  I think that this is something that is ingrained in boys from the time that they are born.  My friends loved playing with fire as well.  As a teenager we would have “camp outs” next to a fire.  We would hang out all night and we would play with the fire.  I know that this is not the smartest thing that we ever did, but we especially loved putting cans of hairspray in the fire and watching them explode.

After our night of fun (or ignorance) we would one by one go to sleep next to the fire.  It was the job of whoever was still awake to put more wood onto the fire so that the fire would not go out.  If it was neglected it would slowly dwindle down to nothing and eventually go out.

2 Timothy 1:6 says, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

As Christians we are reminded that we cannot let the fire go out all through scripture.  How do we “fan into flame” our walk?  We do things like pray, read scripture, fast, and meditate upon the word.  When we don’t do these things it’s like we are neglecting the fire.  Eventually, our passion, our love, and our connectedness will dwindle down and eventually go out.  I urge you to put more wood on the fire.

What do you enjoy doing to keep the fire burning?

If Someone’s Pants Are Unzipped…Tell Them

Posted by Michael in Personal Growth and tagged with ,

Okay, so this is embarrassing, but I think that I can share this with you guys. (because I know you won’t laugh too much)  I work for a company that is in the oil and gas industry.  I run errands and go lots of places throughout the day.  Well the other day, when I got home my pants were unzipped.  Immediately I tried to remember when the last time I went to the restroom was, but I couldn’t.  It had been at least five hours, maybe longer. 

I know someone had to see, but they didn’t say anything.  I was all around the building that day and I even went to three different banks.  AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING!  It would have been awkward or difficult, but I wish they had told me.

Luke 17:3 says, “So watch yourselves. ”If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”

One of the hardest things to do is confront someone who we know is sinning or doing something that they shouldn’t. (I’ve had it happen to me and was grateful) We worry that they will get mad or be angry with us, and they probably will be at first, but the end result is worth it.

If someone’s pants are unzipped, please tell them about it. I promise you that they will be better off in the long run. 

 Have you ever had to do this?  If so, was it difficult?